Pay cuts delayed a week at Momentive

The new pay schedule, which was to have cut the pay of the majority of production workers by an average of 25 percent, was originally scheduled to take effect on Monday, as workers received new job assignments.

But a company spokesman this morning said the new pay rates weren’t fully implemented, and so the effective date was delayed a week.

“We have a 24-7 schedule, so we wanted everyone on the same schedule” with pay rate changes, said company spokesman John Scharf.

Momentive in early December announced a restructuring of pay rates, with 400 production workers receiving pay cuts averaging 25 percent, another 200 workers seeing their pay rates unchanged, and 20 employees seeing increases averaging 9 percent.

The Colonie-based company, with a plant in Waterford (shown here ) that employs 1,000 people, produces adhesives, sealants, resins and other products used in the automotive, residential construction, textiles and furniture markets, all of which have been hit by the recession.

The company had two temporary layoffs during Thanksgiving and Christmas and said the pay cuts were an effort to avoid permanent job reductions.

Union officials have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that the company unilaterlly violated its national contract with the IUE/CWA, which represents 600 workers in Waterford.